You’ve been living on the streets, dodging humans and loud noises. Or you’ve been abused. Or you were brought into ACC (Animal Care and Control) by the family you lived with and loved and you have no idea why they left you here in this st\range place.
But however you got to your 2’ x 4’ cage you are terrified. You can’t run. You can’t hide. There is no one to assure you, play with or love you.
What often goes through the mind of a pup or a kitty brought into ACC must be one word, “Terror”. No matter how wonderful the staff and the volunteers at the shelters are, it’s a new, unfamiliar, scary and enclosed space for any new resident. But there is a wonderful way we people, especially, young people can help. And our help means so much. Not only can we comfort a shy, scared furry one but a happy pup or kitty is a much better candidate for adoption. The program is called “Books with Boroughbreds”, a perfect reflection of the furry ones you’ll be reading to as well as us human New Yorkers. You can read “Cat in the Hat” or “War and Peace”, it matters not. What matters is the soft and loving human voice that the pup or kitty hears. That calm, non-threatening voice can often be the first break-through with a pup or a kitty who is afraid of humans. “We have seen both dogs and cats gradually relax as they are read to,” shared Alex Silver the head of ACC’s Boroughbred’s program. “And that’s our goal for not only does that make their time here less traumatic but as they relax and accept people it makes them more adoptable.” Alex went on to praise the program for also helping the readers who came to ACC. “Helping always feels good, especially when you see the results. But so many times we’ve seen our program work as a 2-way street. A shy youngster, or one who needs to work on his reading skills will come in and read to our animals. With a non-judgmental audience like they have here their own skills improve and their own shyness slowly melts.” What a great program! Do you or a kid you know have some time each week to help? Or, do you know a youngster who would like to help, especially one who would do well improving their reading skills? Register for orientation for Books for Boroughbreds either by calling 212-312-8735 or go online to CommunityOutreach@nycacc.org. Brooklyn ACC is on 2336 Linden Boulevard. There are also ACC's each of the other four boroughs nycacc.org/about/locations. It’s a win-win!
Comments